Bond strength of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings on the phosphated steels

In the presented work, results of adhesion measurements for different systems of steel sheet-phosphate interlayer-ceramiccoating are described. The interlayers were produced by zinc phosphating; alumina, olivine and zirconiasilica-alumina (e.g. eucor) coatings were deposited by water stabilized plasma torch WSP®. However, successful application of the WSP technique depends on the choice of correct deposition parameters preserving the hydrated phosphates from thermal destruction by the molten ceramic particles. For the adhesion measurement ISO 4624standardized test was used. Corrosion resistivity was measured by polarisation resistance and free corrosion potential in 3 % NaCl solution. Key words

Corrosion properties of chromia based eco - friendly coatings on mild steel

Ceramic nanocrystalline coatings of chromium oxide (III) on steel S235JRH-1.0038 (EN 10025-1) were prepared using the liquid precursor plasma spraying (LPPS) method from ammonia dichromate (VI). Their structure and anti – corrosion properties were compared to the standard chromium oxide (III) coating prepared by thermal spraying. The newly prepared coatings had very high adhesion and minimal porosity. Anticorrosion properties were characterized by the means of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), measuring the charge transfer resistance Rct and capacitance of electrical double layer CPEdl in the 0,5 mol/l NaCl. Coatings of Cr2 O3 prepared by the LPPS method showed unambiguously improved anti - corrosion properties

Boronized steels with corundum-baddeleyite coatings

The paper describes preparation and properties of anti-corrosion and anti-abrasive coatings from corundum-baddeleyite ceramics deposited on surface of low-carbon boronized steel S235JRH-1.0038 (EN 10025-1) by plasma spraying method. Adhesive interlayers Fe2B reaches bond strength of up to 20 MPa in the pull-off tests, the ZrO2 - Al2O3 - SiO2 coatings have a value of fracture adhesion of 4 - 6 MPa. Hardness of these ceramic coatings on steel is as high as 1 800 HV100 and its polarization resistance is 1 600 Ω/cm2 to 4 000 Ω/cm2

Thermal stability of phosphate coatings on steel

The work was validated thermal stability of zinc, manganese and tri-cations phosphate coatings on steel, made from commercial phosphating bath type Pragofos. Thermogravimetric data dehydration of scholzite, phosphophylite and hureaulite coatings in the temperature range 160 °C – 400 °C define the conditions for applying paints with higher firing temperature or thermal spraying ceramic coatings

Intelligence within BAOR and NATO's Northern Army Group

During the Cold War the UK's principal military role was its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) through the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), together with wartime command of NATO's Northern Army Group. The possibility of a surprise attack by the numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces ensured that great importance was attached to intelligence, warning and rapid mobilisation. As yet we know very little about the intelligence dimension of BAOR and its interface with NATO allies. This article attempts to address these neglected issues, ending with the impact of the 1973 Yom Kippur War upon NATO thinking about warning and surprise in the mid-1970s. It concludes that the arrangements made by Whitehall for support to BAOR from national assets during crisis or transition to war were - at best - improbable. Accordingly, over the years, BAOR developed its own unique assets in the realm of both intelligence collection and special operations in order to prepare for the possible outbreak of conflict

A Global Perspective on Trends in Nature-Based Tourism

Falling attendance at United States and Japanese national parks has led to claims of a pervasive shift away from nature-based recreation. A global analysis, however, now suggests that while visit rates are declining slightly in some richer countries, elsewhere nature tourism is booming

A geometric analysis of fast-slow models for stochastic gene expression

Stochastic models for gene expression frequently exhibit dynamics on several different scales. One potential time-scale separation is caused by significant differences in the lifetimes of mRNA and protein; the ratio of the two degradation rates gives a natural small parameter in the resulting chemical master equation, allowing for the application of perturbation techniques. Here, we develop a framework for the analysis of a family of ‘fast-slow’ models for gene expression that is based on geometric singular perturbation theory. We illustrate our approach by giving a complete characterisation of a standard two-stage model which assumes transcription, translation, and degradation to be first-order reactions. In particular, we present a systematic expansion procedure for the probability-generating function that can in principle be taken to any order in the perturbation parameter, allowing for an approximation of the corresponding propagator probabilities to that same order. For illustrative purposes, we perform this expansion explicitly to first order, both on the fast and the slow time-scales; then, we combine the resulting asymptotics into a composite fast-slow expansion that is uniformly valid in time. In the process, we extend, and prove rigorously, results previously obtained by Shahrezaei and Swain (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105(45):17256–17261, 2008) and Bokes et al. (J Math Biol 64(5):829–854, 2012; J Math Biol 65(3):493–520, 2012). We verify our asymptotics by numerical simulation, and we explore its practical applicability and the effects of a variation in the system parameters and the time-scale separation. Focussing on biologically relevant parameter regimes that induce translational bursting, as well as those in which mRNA is frequently transcribed, we find that the first-order correction can significantly improve the steady-state probability distribution. Similarly, in the time-dependent scenario, inclusion of the first-order fast asymptotics results in a uniform approximation for the propagator probabilities that is superior to the slow dynamics alone. Finally, we discuss the generalisation of our geometric framework to models for regulated gene expression that involve additional stages